Friday, December 07, 2012

DearREADERS,The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941 was a turning point in American society. Dad told me that the feeling of security and innocence was snuffed out. Where was he at the time? In school. He said everyone was glued to their radios for any tidbit of news.

Glen S. Player, in the lab at medical school circa 1941.

The US Army then pushed medical students to complete their studies on an accelerated course. No more summer breaks. Dad received his medical degree in 1943 from the University of Oregon Medical School, now called the Oregon Health Sciences University. He completed post-graduate studies with the School of Neuropsychiatry at New York University 1944-1945 and took related classes at Cornell. During World War II, Glen served in the US Army as a neurology consultant, England General Hospital 1945-1946; and Halloran General Hospital 1946.But others weren't as fortunate. I was touched this morning by several related blog posts:Angela Y. Walton-Raji's Remembering Dorie Miller, An American Heroposted today on the My Ancestor's Name Blog. Angela describes Dorie's bravery on "the day that shall live in infamy".